Striped Jello

Let's be honest:  I love jello.  It's a weakness.  Whenever I was a kid, Jello came up with the Jello "jiggler" idea and I was sold.  I've always thought Jello was awesome...and this is the ultimate summer Jello dessert.  You can use any kind of jello you want, which makes this dish perfect for just about any occasion.  For instance, if I took this to my family's Italian Picnic at the end of summer, I would maybe only use red and green jello.  Or if this was for my sister's graduation from Virginia Tech, I would have used dark red and orange jello.  See what I'm saying?  It's versatile and delicious.  Although if you are not making this dish for a specific event, follow my "suggestion" for flavors below.  It's a proven winner.  Plus, once this is finished, it's absolutely beautiful.

 

6 small boxes of jello, any flavors (my favorite combo is cherry, orange, lemon, lime, blue raspberry, and grape)

2 cups sour cream

 

Dissolve 1 box of jello with 1 cup boiling water.  Take out 1/3 cup of the jello mix and combine with 1/3 cup of sour cream; whisk together and set aside.  Pour the clear layer of jello in a 9x13 inch glass pan.  Let this layer gel (it will be very thin, but it needs to be firm).  Once the first layer is gelled, pour the jello/sour cream mixture over top and let this layer gel.  Repeat the above steps with the remaining 5 boxes of jello.  Be sure to let each gel layer set before adding the next layer.  This is time consuming, but once the first layer is set, the others will set quickly.

Summer Squash Casserole

Happy Monday, everyone!  Here is another one of those perfect summertime recipes, when the zucchini and yellow squash in your garden seem to be multiplying by the second.  What to do?  My parents used to make this casserole for summer picnics and get-togethers, and it was always a hit.  Even with me, the world's pickiest kid!   It's delicious and full of vegetables, but still has a savory, homey, comfort-food quality.

 

3 cups squash (zucchini or yellow squash, or a mix of both)

2 carrots, shredded

1 small onion, grated

1 cup cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 package Pepperidge Farm stuffing (the cubed kind)

1/3 cup melted butter

 

Cut the squash into bite sized pieces.  Lightly cook and drain.  Mix the stuffing with the melted butter.  Mix the squash, carrots, onion, soup, sour cream, and half of the stuffing mixture.  Pour into a casserole dish and top with the remaining half of the stuffing mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until brown and bubbly.  Serves 8-10 people.

Pepperoni Pasta Bake

Recently, my sister came down to visit.  My parents sent some things with her to give to me, and among those items were seven jars of tomato sauce.  Yes, seven.  Apparently, they were a dollar a piece at the grocery store, and my dad bought a whole case.  This "gift" from my dad prompted the question, "what the heck am I going to do with all of this sauce?"  We didn't have a whole lot of food in the refrigerator OR the pantry...but I managed to rustle up something that was pretty tasty and VERY easy last night.  Try this next time you want an easy Italian meal!  The pepperoni definitely adds some delicious flavor, but it doesn't overpower the dish.

 

3/4 pound pasta (I used rigatoni, but you can use anything - I want to try either bow ties or egg noodles next)

1/2 jar tomato sauce (avoid the watery "marinara" variety if possible - I used Del Grosso tomato basil)

1 large handful of pepperoni slices, cut into thin strips (turkey pepperoni is a great alternative)

1 cup shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese

garlic salt

red pepper flakes

 

Cook pasta according to directions; drain and return the pasta to the pot.  Stir in the sauce and pepperoni strips, then stir in 1/4 cup of the cheese.  Add a dash of red pepper flakes and garlic salt and stir.  Pour the pasta mixture into a casserole dish and top with the remaining 3/4 cup of cheese.  Bake covered at 350 for 25 minutes.  Remove cover and turn on the broiler for 5 minutes in order to make the cheese brown and bubbly.  Serve with Garlic Parmesan Bread Bites and a salad.

Peach-a-Berry Cobbler

My grandma is a phenomenal baker.  PHENOMENAL.  And when summer rolls around, she has been known to knock our socks off with this delicious dessert.  I love most cobblers, but this one is special.  If peaches and blueberries (the latter of which I usually despise) were in season in November, I would ask for this as my birthday "cake."

 

Filling:

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup cold water

2 cups sliced fresh peaches

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon lemon juice

 

Topping:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 and a half teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup softened butter

 

Start with the filling.  Mix the cornstarch, brown sugar, and cold water together.  Then add the peaches and blueberries.  Cook the filling mixture on the stove top until thickened, then remove from the heat and stir in the 1 tablespoon of butter and lemon juice.  Pour the filling mix into a 8 or 9 inch deep baking dish.  Next, make the topping.  Sift together the dry ingredients.  Add the milk and butter all at once and beat the mixture until smooth.  Pour or dollop the topping mix over the fruit.  Sprinkle the top of the batter with an additional 1 tablespoon of sugar and a 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.  Bake at 350 degrees until the top is golden brown - the actual baking time will depend a lot on your oven!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

There are many, many versions of this recipe floating around on the internet...and in my kitchen.  Unfortunately I didn't write down the source of my recipe, but I think it is a combo of my grandma's version and an internet recipe I found at some point.  Some versions for this call for crushed pineapple, but I am not a fan of that...I think it takes away from the deliciousness.  Feel free to add that though, if it's your style!

Do your family a favor this weekend and make this for your Fourth of July festivities.  Then do yourself a favor and make a separate batch, just for yourself.  This stuff never lasts long at picnics!

 

Crust:

2 cups crushed pretzels (regular ones - not the thick ones)

3/4 cup melted butter

3 tablespoons sugar

 

Middle Layer:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

8 ounces cool whip, thawed

 

Top Layer: 

1 six ounce package of strawberry jello

2 cups boiling water

2 ten ounce packages of frozen, unsweetened strawberries (sliced if you can find them)

 

Mix the ingredients for the crust together and press into a 9x13 glass baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes and then let cool completely.  Beat the cream cheese and the sugar together for the middle layer.  Once these ingredients are combined, gently mix in the cool whip.  Spread the cream cheese mixture over the cooled pretzel crust.  Next, combine the jello and boiling water together and stir until the jello is dissolved.  Set this aside for a few minutes to cool.  Then, mix the frozen strawberries into the jello mixture (it's okay if the jello starts to thicken at this point...it's because of the frozen berries).  Pour the jello/strawberry mixture over the cream cheese mixture.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

 

Or you can dig into it early, and it will be a little sloppy...but you won't care because it's so yummy.

Happy Fourth of July, everyone - have a safe and happy holiday weekend, and remember the reason that we are celebrating!

An Ode to Store Brands

I'm sure that by the title of this post, you probably thing I am going to launch into a jaunty tune about store brand items.  And I might, at another time.  But first, I want to tell ya'll a story.

Once upon a time, after years of thinking my dad was crazy for buying "generic" potato chips and macaroni and kleenex, I ventured out into a world in which I was responsible for buying my own groceries.  At first, I tried to cling to name brands despite the fact they were rapidly draining my rather meager bank account.  Also, I was shopping at Wal-Mart, where I assumed that I was getting items for the best price possible.  Then I got tired of going to Wal-Mart.  I mean, who wants to constantly park 12 miles away from the door, only to battle a kajillion people once you get inside?  I missed my neighborhood grocery store back home, so I decided to start trying to shop at my local supermarket instead of Wal-Mart.  Plus, I really like sticking it to "the man" when I can.

I was a little concerned about the toll this would take on my wallet, but I was more concerned with the toll that continuing to shop at Wal-Mart would take on my sanity.  I was walking up and down the aisles, amazed at the fact that I was not completely frazzled and that I was actually enjoying myself.  I picked up a box of Nutri-Grain bars...but alas!  They were not Nutri-Grain bars!  They were STORE BRAND granola bars.  They had truly tricked me with the packaging (a far cry from the somewhat embarrassingly blatant black and white generic packaging from my childhood).  I decided to try them...and I've been hooked ever since.  I'm sure that the Barefoot Contessa would frown upon this, as she is constantly encouraging people to buy the best products possible...but clearly I don't live in the Hamptons.  And with the economy the way it is, isn't it nice to save a few bucks when you can?

 

Here are a few of some of my favorite store brand items (I shop at Harris Teeter):

- fruit and grain bars (apple cinnamon)

- frozen whole wheat waffles (I can't tell the difference between them and Eggos)

- Thin Wheats (you guessed it - Wheat Thins!  and I think they actually taste better)

- cinnamon toast crunch (why is cereal so expensive?)

- shells and cheese (call me crazy, but they are better than Velveeta)

- peanut butter

- shredded cheese (the italian six cheese blend is delicious - think Chicken Parm)

- pre-sliced/pre-packaged deli cheese

- breadcrumbs

- spices (italian seasoning,cinnamon, oregano, basil, etc.  I am still a sucker for Montreal Steak seasoning though)

- toilet paper

 

Put your big girl (or boy) pants on and try some store brand items.  You might really be surprised at what you find!  I haven't found any good store brand soap products (laundry or dishwashing detergent), so if you have something to share, let me know!  I actually save more money this way than I ever did at Wal-Mart, which feels great.  It's the little things in life.

And they all lived happily ever after!

Baked Chicken Nuggets

I heart chicken, in case you hadn't noticed.  I've always been a bit of a picky eater, and now I live with another picky eater.  Sometimes it's hard to make things that won't weird her out.  I'm always happy with what I perceive to be "kid food" - pizza, macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, etc.  So last night I decided that I was in the mood for some "real" chicken nuggets.  I thought briefly about going to Chick Fil A, but I decided that I was too broke (sad but true) to do that.  So I busted out some chicken I had in my freezer, and the rest was delicious history.

 

3 whole boneless chicken breasts

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

1 to 2 tablespoons garlic salt (to taste)

2 teaspoons dried oregano

milk

 

Cut the chicken breasts up into 1 inch cubes.  Put the cut up chicken into a bowl and cover with milk (I used 2%, but I'm not sure it matters).  Mix together breadcrumbs, garlic salt, and oregano.  Take a few pieces of the chicken at a time and toss in the breadcrumbs.  Place breaded chicken pieces in a glass baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Don't worry if the pieces touch each other in the dish.  Once all the chicken is in the baking dish, spray the top of the chicken lightly with cooking spray and cover with foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35-40 minutes.

**I dipped my nuggets in honey mustard, but they are delicious plain, too!